


Fishing Trouble

by Anonymous



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Polyamory, This is fluffier than i thought it would be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 03:17:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7026316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is actually no fishing involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fishing Trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bookwormally](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwormally/gifts).



> Okay, this is a gift exchange. It is my first time doing a gift exchange and actually publishing my writing for all to see, so let's see how I did yes?
> 
> The prompt was to have Eridan get hurt and have Karkat and Equius care for him. It could be any mix of relationship with the three, including poly. I chose poly because why not?
> 
> On a side note, the terms change between trolls and human because you tend to pick things up from people the longer you are with them. So Equips starts using troll terms and Eridan and Karkat start using human terms. (Would it be called human terms? Who knows, totes not me. >w>)
> 
> Anyway! Please enjoy~

It was probably stupid of him to mess with something so large without backup. His matesprits would undoubtedly say he was being stupid. But he figured this would keep Feferi’s lusus satisfied for longer, so he could spend a few more days with his flushmates. It was supposed to be a surprise too, but alas, he had gotten the short end of the stick this time.

The lusus Eridan had gone after--a large, cephalopod-like creature--had managed to grab him and take a bite out of his leg before he was able to shoot and kill it. The white creature had unknowingly wrapped a tentacled limb around his left leg and then abruptly pulled him off of his lusus. It dragged him to its mouth, ready to kill him as he struggled to get a good shot with the crosshairs at it. It wasn't until he felt it bite him that he had a good shot. He took it without a second thought and ignored the pain to the best of his ability. After the thing died, he was let go and his lusus swam to him quickly, worried.  
Thankfully, his lusus was able to help him wrangle the dead creature and swim them to Feferi’s hive, leaving a trail of violet blood in his wake.

 

“Eridan! I got your message from earlier and decided to wait for you here! You really didn't have to try to catch something so lar- oh my god, Eridan, what happened?!” was all Eridan heard before he fainted from blood loss.

 

Groaning, Eridan stirred. He hissed in pain, wondering why his leg hurt so damn much. He blinked his eyes open slowly and saw that he was in his own room. Confused, he looked around. He remembered heading to Feferi’s home, so why was he here? ‘Why am I here? Why does my leg hurt? I’m supposed to give Fef the lusus I caught,’ he thought absently, groaning as he sat himself up.

“Oh! You’re awake! Thank goodness, I was afraid you wouldn't make it, Eridan! You scared me so glubbing much!” he heard, and turned to find Feferi at his room’s entrance. She rushed over to him, checking him over quickly. “Do you remember what happened?” she asked.

“I was headed to your hive, I got a lusus for Gl’boryb. But I got hurt,” Eridan started, startled enough by Feferi’s presence to answer. “I don't remember much after, did you give Gl’boryb the lusus? And why am I here? You didn't tell Karkat and Equius, right? They would be so angry if they found out I was so careless,” he said.

Feferi sighed and shooshed him. “Shoosh Eridan, you nearly scared me shelly, and I didn't know what to do. I contacted Equius, he told me how to stop you from bleeding too much and then I brought you here! He said he would be over soon,” she replied calmly. They were moirails, and she knew just how to calm him down. And thankfully, after he had gotten together with Equius and Karkat, he had started being a much calmer and more observant moirail. Though they occasionally had their bumps, it wasn't anything they couldn't fix. 

Eridan groaned. Equius would berate him. He’d help him out of course, and build him whatever he needed to function properly again, but he would get berated for it along the way. “Well, at least it’s not Kar,” he sighed, resigning himself to his fate.

Feferi giggled. “But Karcrab is here too! Equius told him to come over first. I’ll call him, he would like to sea that you’re fine!” she told him. She leaned away from Eridan and left, exiting in a hurry out the door to get Karkat.

He groaned again, knowing his matesprits would not let him off the hook easily. If Equius would berate him, Karkat would nag and shout at him. He knew they must have been worried, which is what he wanted to avoid, but he didn't want to deal with that while he was still in some semblance of pain. ‘Maybe I can pretend to be asleep,’ he thought absently, hissing as he shifted around to get more comfortable.

“Nice to see you’re awake,” he heard a gruff voice say. Instantly his head snapped to the doorway and he found Karkat standing there, arms crossed and eyes puffy. Feferi was nowhere in sight.

“Uh, hey Kar, fancy seeing you here,” he said nervously. His matesprit's eyes narrowed, but the clear reddish liquid pooling on the corners failed to give Karkat the usual angry and rage-filled appearance he had when really angry. 

“Hey doesn't cut it, nooksniffer! When Equius told me what happened, I was so worried! And don't get me started on that big lug of a matesprit of ours either! He ordered me to come here, to meet up with Feferi and to make sure you weren't going to die on us! He stayed in his hive to get some materials to build you something temporary, and I’m sure he’ll have something to say to you as well!” Karkat said, his voice softer than usual and cracking from emotion. It was startling for Eridan to see, Karkat was never that quiet when he shouted.  
The clear red tears had long since spilled over and Karkat had started crying. He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes furiously, before approaching and hugging Eridan. “We were both so worried, Eridan. Don't ever do that to us again, or else!” he whimpered.

Eridan hugged his matesprit back after he got over his shock, promising to never do what he did. “I’m sorry Kar,” he said, wiping his matesprit’s eyes as they both started calming down. Karkat reached over to wipe Eridan’s own eyes of tears he didn't remember shedding. They both grinned at each other, the love they felt for each other on display now that they were alone.

Or so they had thought. Feferi cleared her throat, getting the attention of both trolls who were now flushing red and violet. “Whale, now that things are going fintastically, I think I should leave! Bye Karcrab! Bye Eridan! Tell Equius I say hello!” she said hurriedly, leaving before either troll could speak. She too had been blushing, having witnessed a moment she really shouldn't have.

Karkat sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “How long was she fucking watching us for?!” he exclaimed, turning to Eridan who shrugged in response. “Whatever, it doesn't matter. I’ll stay with you until Equius is able to finish up what he wants to make you. He won’t be here too long, he said something about it needing to be perfect. So I’ll be here and help you with anything you need help with,” he added.

“Thanks Kar,” Eridan said. He then flushed violet all over again, looking down and saying, “Flushed for you.”

Karkat blushed a bright red, returning the muttered “flushed for you” as well. He then told Eridan to sleep and that he’d wake him up when Equius arrived. It took a few minutes, and some coercing, but Karkat stayed with the seadweller to keep him company until he fell asleep.

\------

He was awoken what felt like hours later by Karkat shaking him awake. He smiled blearily up at him just before his eyes squinted shut when he yawned. He heard Karkat yell for someone to “hurry up, he’s awake.”

“Kar? Who are you speaking to?” he asked, wiping at his eyes.

“I believe our matesprit wanted me to hurry so I can see you. He was rather impatient, as per usual,” he heard Equius say, a hint of fondness in his tone. “Now let me see what I am able to do for the moment, and I will go back to my hive later to make a proper prosthesis,” he said calmly, setting his things down beside him. Eridan stayed quiet after that, even when Equius lifted the covers to look at his leg, something he refused to do, and started unwrapping it.  
He would flinch and whimper from the pain when his leg was lifted or handled a bit roughly, and by the time Equius was done, he had started to sweat and Karkat was bringing in towels for him to dry himself off with. 

“I am sorry for the discomfort, but it was unavoidable. Karkat, I command you to please leave the room,” Equius finally spoke up after he toweled himself off. His silly cracked shades were off, resting on his head, when he turned to look at their matesprit. Karkat narrowed his eyes, challenging him before huffing a ‘fine’ and walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

“Why did you ask him to leave?” 

Equius stalled, taking his time in getting his tools prepared. Eridan frowned at him, a slight downturn of his lips, but Equius spoke up before he could ask his question again. “You will feel a lot of pain right now, and I did not want Karkat to have to witness that. He is STRONG, but I would rather he not see this,” was all he said, emphasizing the word strong.

That seemed sensible to Eridan, so he nodded to show he understood. He was given some leather strips that looked suspiciously like a harness and raised an eyebrow at Equius in confusion. 

“Bite that, it will keep you from biting your tongue while I do this,” was Equius’ response. Eridan swallowed the knot in his throat, apprehensive of what was to come, but did as he was told. “Good, now please look away, you will not like to see this.” With that said, he turned Eridan’s head to face away from himself and the injured leg. 

Eridan gripped the sheets hard, tensing up to prepare himself for what would come. Equius rubbed his arm, causing Eridan to flinch and then relax a tiny bit. And then he felt a sharp pain. His muscles tensed and he bit down hard on the leather straps, eyes tearing up with clear violet tears as his whole face scrunched up in pain and he screamed. The scream was muffled thanks to the leather. He gripped the sheets again, making sure he stayed as still as possible as Equius got to work. Distantly, through the pain and muffled screams he heard his matesprit talk to him. Eridan couldn't understand what the blue blood was saying, but it sounded calm, almost soothing. This went on for what felt like hours before he passed out.

 

“Eridan, hey, wake up!” he heard distantly, and felt a gentle rocking just as the last words were spoken. He made a noise, a soft whine of disapproval at being shaken. He was comfortable and warm, he didn't want to get up. Whoever it was could wait a while longer.  
The voice huffed, almost sounding annoyed. “Come on, idiot! Equius was done hours ago and you’ve been asleep for longer! You gotta eat!” was shouted back, sounding louder with each word. He didn't want to wake up, but the name was so familiar. It gave him a warm, fluttery feeling in his chest. Even the voice, loud and annoying as it was at the moment, was giving him a nice feeling. He whined again, forcing his eyes to open. They felt heavy, as if they were being weighted down by stones. A few seconds went by before they opened a crack, enough for him to take a peek at who that voice belonged to and where he was. He was still tired, but was waking up quickly. He blinked lazily a few times, waking up more and more by the second.

He looked to his right, spotting the owner of the voice. The kid looked familiar, his messy black hair, short stature, and ever angry expression filling him with warmth. Blinking again, he remembered that this was one of his matesprits, Karkat, and that he and Equius, his other matesprit, were in his hive to take care of him. “Morning Kar,” he said, smiling. 

Karkat huffed again, but cracked a small smile. “It's night again, you’ve been asleep for a while. Equius is making you something to eat, I’ll go check to see if it's done. And tell him you finally woke up, princess,” he replied.

Eridan rolled his eyes. “Your bedside manners suck,” he said. “But thanks, I’m glad you’re both here.”  
Karkat blushed lightly, a pale red flush along his cheeks and nose. “Yeah, well, I’m glad too,” he muttered back. With that he left, presumably to get him something to eat.

Eridan frowned then, a slight downturn of his lips, as he remembered that Karkat said Equius had finished patching him up. He shifted enough to sit up, hissing as he felt sharp tendrils of pain shoot up and down his spine from his leg. He breathed deeply, trying keep from screaming. It took a few minutes, minutes he was glad no one had walked in on him during as he was panting and sweating from exertion.  
He swallowed audibly when he gripped the sheets, intent on seeing the damage for himself now. When he lifted the covers, he saw white cloth where he was injured. He touched the white bandages, feeling a hard surface underneath. Equius had indeed done what he had set out to do. He wondered when he could take the bandages off to see the no doubt metallic piece he had used.

“You can take them off the next night. Here, I made some stew. Karkat is eating as well, he put up a fuss, but I think it is my turn to, ‘chew you out’ as he put it,” a deep voice said.

Eridan jumped, then yelped from the pain of his jostled leg. He glared halfheartedly at Equius, but accepted the bowl of soup that was handed to him gratefully. He was indeed very hungry, as he had only eaten early the previous night, before he set off. “You may as well get it over with,” he said, sighing as he knew this was coming.

“Very well,” Equius started off, sitting down in a nearby stool he had not noticed before. “You were a massive fool to have gone after such large prey by yourself. Feferi, although against such acts of violence, would have no doubt helped had you asked nicely and explained your reasons. I command you to not be so foolish and rash next time. You may not be as lucky as yesterday,” he said, tone hard. Eridan flinched, but nodded. Unlike Karkat, Equius didn't shout, but he still knew how to be harsh.  
Equius heaved a deep sigh, lifted up his cracked shades, and looked Eridan in the eye. “As it is, I am very glad you are alive and escaped with only this injury.” 

“I...I promise it won’t happen again,” Eridan said.

“Good. Now eat up, you will need to keep up your strength. I will leave for my home for the moment, and make a proper prosthesis for your leg. Karkat will stay and help with whatever you need. I will be as quick as possible,” Equius said. Shyly, he kissed Eridan chastely then got up and left. Eridan noticed the other troll had deep blue blush coloring his face and had started to sweat a bit.

Eridan heaved a sigh of relief, feeling his own cheeks burn as well. It hadn't gone as bad as he’d thought it would, but that was probably because they had both been worried for him. Shaking his head, he started to eat. He did, however, smirk when he heard Karkat’s indignant shout a few minutes later.

\------ A Few Days Later ------

It had been several days since ‘The Accident’, as they had taken to calling it, and Eridan was slowly starting to heal and walk. 

Equius returned rather quickly after he left, only taking two days and a single night to work on the prosthesis. It took him even less time to attach the prosthesis. Granted, he slept the rest of the night and all day as commanded by Karkat. Vriska, oddly enough, agreed to hunt lusi for G’lboryb in the meantime. Eridan had a sneaking suspicion it was Karkat’s doing, he probably asked Kanaya and Terezi to speak to his kismesis or something of the sort.  
Some of the other trolls, who he still had some trouble considering his friends, even stopped by to see him. A few did so only to tease him, or his matesprits, but it was still pretty nice.

 

“You are doing much better, soon enough you’ll be able to walk on your own. We’ll work on how far you can walk later,” Equius said, helping Eridan to a chair. He handed him a cup of water and waited patiently as the violet blood had his fill.

“Thanks Equius, I’m forever grateful it’s you helping me instead of Karkat. He’s too impatient for this kind of stuff,” Eridan said, raising his voice so his other matesprit could hear from the kitchen. He said it jokingly, as Karkat was actually patient with him as well.

“I heard that, nooksucker!” was the shouted response. They heard some loud bangs and clangs, no doubt from their matesprit angrily putting the few dishes Eridan had away. It had been his turn to clean that day, while Equius helped him walk. 

“Oh Kar, you know I’m flushed for you! I was just joking,” he said, laughing alongside Equius. 

Karkat walked into the living room, glaring daggers at them both, but heaved a sigh. “Yeah, yeah. Quit laughing, asshole,” he said amusedly, playfully swiping at them. “Are you done? Can we watch a movie now?” he asked after both trolls had stopped laughing.

“Yes, we are done for the night. Let us watch your movie,” Equius said. He helped Eridan walk to the couch, letting Karkat happily fetch the movie he had wanted them to watch together and put it on.

It was another of Karkat’s romcoms, which Eridan and even Equius secretly enjoyed watching. With Eridan in the middle and the other two on either side of him, the three snuggled up together to watch the film.


End file.
